NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Washington, DC, September 7, 2026 — Vice President JD Vance’s mother is offering a warm public endorsement of her Indian-American daughter-in-law, Second Lady Usha Vance, describing her as humble, genuine and “one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
Beverly Vance Aikins made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with conservative commentator Tomi Lahren on her podcast, “Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,” released Sept. 2. A segment focusing on Usha Vance was published by OutKick on Sunday.
The conversation turned to Usha after Lahren brought up recent online attention surrounding an inexpensive Old Navy maternity dress worn by the second lady.
“She’s very humble,” Aikins told Lahren. “I think she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.” She added that she loves Usha “like she’s my own daughter.”
Aikins went on to describe Usha as “very genuine, very authentic,” adding that she loves her husband and is “a good mom.”
“I can’t think of anything bad to say about her,” she said.
Aikins also touched on the cultural differences within the Vance family. Asked about Indian food, she said she enjoys it, although she doubted her own ability to prepare it.
“I have to admit, I don’t think I could cook it,” she said. “But it’s pretty good.”
Her comments about Usha were not limited to the discussion about her clothing.
Elsewhere in the same interview, Aikins strongly defended Usha and her grandchildren while responding to remarks by Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who has repeatedly invoked the Vance family while criticizing the vice president.
El-Sayed had previously referred to the Vances’ biracial children as “brown kids” while arguing that JD Vance’s political positions were inconsistent with his own family’s background. In an Aug. 21 social media post, El-Sayed also referenced Usha after the vice president spoke about his late grandfather, writing, “So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…”
Aikins said those comments particularly angered her.
“Those are my babies. I love those babies and would do anything for any of them,” she said, before again defending her daughter-in-law. “I love Usha as if she were my own daughter. She’s one of the best, most genuine people I’ve ever met. And she loves my son, and she’s a good mother.”
Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants from Andhra Pradesh, married JD Vance in 2014 after the couple met while attending Yale Law School. They now have four children.
The second lady has largely maintained a lower public profile than her husband but has increasingly appeared at official events and spoken publicly about balancing her role in Washington with raising their young family.
The latest comments also offer a glimpse into Usha’s relationship with her husband’s family — a subject that recently entered the political spotlight amid El-Sayed’s attacks.
Usha herself addressed the issue in an Aug. 26 appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying that although she never met JD Vance’s grandparents, whom he called Mamaw and Papaw, she knows the children they raised.
“They have never been anything but incredibly loving,” she said of Vance’s mother, aunt and uncle.
For Aikins, however, her assessment of her daughter-in-law was considerably simpler: Usha is humble, authentic, devoted to her family — and someone she considers a daughter.
Cover photo credit: Tomi Lahren Is Fearless podcast and Usha Vance.
